


Queens over Deuces

by PDV



Category: Injustice: Gods Among Us
Genre: D/s, F/F, F/M, Harley gets a happy ending, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Multi, that is not a euphemism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28794477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PDV/pseuds/PDV
Summary: Harley Quinn's involvement in Connor's life, and his mother's, doesn't stop with offering Dinah a muzzle.
Relationships: Dinah Lance/Harleen Quinzel, Oliver Queen & Dinah Lance & Harleen Quinzel & Connor Lance-Queen, Oliver Queen/Dinah Lance/Harleen Quinzel
Kudos: 2





	Queens over Deuces

@BigHammer > @UncagedBird  
Hey, saw your hubby's away on business without you. Wanna get drinks?  
You know I have to watch Connor.  
What's the point of being married to a CEO if you can't pay other people to free up your time?  
I already do, I just don't use it how you think I should  
Yeah, yeah, I know, but you should live a little! But alright I'll just come visit you instead  
Why don't you just suggest that first? That's always what you end up doing.  
You might change your mind! Also I don't like asking permission and me showing up unannounced gives Olly fits  
...you're incorrigible  
Sure am!

"Heya, Bird!"  
Dinah yelped and stumbled.  
"Would it kill you to knock, Harley?", she asked as she recovered.  
"Probably not but why take a chance? My way's more fun. Also, if Olly gets mad, you didn't actually let me in so it's not your fault, just mine.", said Quinn.  
"I'm pretty sure that wouldn't help much if he did.", Dinah Lance-Queen, alias Black Canary, replied, then continued, dryly, "Luckily for you, he finds your antics as adorable as they are frustrating."  
"My two best qualities!"  
Dinah tried to scowl at her, but it didn't really work. Oliver wasn't the only one who found her antics adorable.  
"How's the kiddo doing?"  
"Connor's great, but you can ask him yourself," Dinah said, then raised her voice, "Hey munchkin, where'd you get to?"  
"Over here, Mom!", he called back, zooming around the corner toward her, "Oh! Harl!"  
She bent to scoop him up in a hug as he came close. Six years old is big for a proper scooping, but Quinn's a lot stronger than she looks. "Hey Con-man, how's it going?"  
Dinah made a hmphing noise.  
"I figured out how to whistle to make my little glider keep going and going! It's hard to hear if you're not right close so I should be able to do it without anybody noticing but I'm still not 'sposta do it at home which is no fair."  
"That sounds really cool! I wanta see some time, when your mom isn't being a spoilsport."  
"Yeah! I wanna show you! But Mom and Dad won't let me have fun."  
"Connor, it's not about fun. You'll break the windows. And our secret."  
"You should visit _my_ house! I've broken most of the windows already, nothing to worry about."  
"You mean, except for the broken glass, violent gangers, loose drugs, and knives lying around?"  
"Yeah, except for those. It's a great idea!"  
Connor looked excited, "Yeah mom, can we? Please?"  
"Sweetie, it's a terrible idea. Harley's house is very unsafe, she's just a very tough woman so she isn't in danger. You would be."  
"Aww, but I wanna _show_ Harl."  
"We'll plan a trip out of the city some time soon, how about? By the lake or something. And she can visit then, and you can show her."  
"...I guess that's fine."  
"Hey, cheer up, Con-man, your mom's too boring but she's probably right. You'll have plenty of time to do exciting stuff when you're a little older and they take you on their adventures. My life probably does have too much excitement for you."  
"I'm pretty sure it has too much excitement for _you_ , Harley"  
"Nah you're just boring."

* * *

The two women sat on the couch in the townhouse's playroom, half-watching Connor play.

"I still don't really understand why you visit me every time Olly is on a long trip, Harl. You do know it makes him worry _more_ than your visits when he's around, right?"  
"I don't want you to be lonely. And he doesn't need me to not be lonely, not nearly as much as you do."  
"He worries you'll try to seduce me away. He _says_ he knows it's just anxiety, but he still worries."  
"I would never push you apart, Bird. I promise. If either of you noticed me doing it by accident, I'd stop myself."  
"You're not big on self-control, Harley."  
"I save it for the really important things. Not hurting you - all three of you - is a really important thing."  
Dinah looked her in the eye, and saw all the flippancy completely drained from her face and even her posture. It was easy to forget that before the Joker, she'd been a brilliant research psychiatrist, not a job which allowed for poor impulse control or obliviousness. And on top of the seriousness was an obvious vein of sadness - she'd stop herself, but it would depress her. Probably a lot.  
Dinah pulled her into a hug.  
"You're a real friend, Harley. A real weird friend, but a real friend."  
"I try. And you are, too, Dinah. Well, only weird by my standards. But the rest, sure."

The grandfather clock in the next room interrupted their hug with the chimes of nine.

"Oh dear, I should get Connor to sleep. Hey kiddo, wrap things up now. Time to get ready for bed."  
"Don't wanna go to bed. If I go to bed Au- If I go to bed Harl will be gone!"  
"Connor, you still have to-"  
"Don't _wanna_! Not gonna!"  
"Connor, please!-"  
"Bird? Let me try?"  
...This would probably make things worse but it couldn't hurt that much. Dinah nodded.  
"Con-man, I know you like seeing me, and I like seeing you, but we're not going to have any more fun this visit if you stay up and fight your mom all night. That will just be everyone angry and nobody happy."  
He ran over and hugged her legs. "Don't see you ever, not fair not fair not fair."  
She stroked his hair gently.  
"I can promise to visit again soon. Maybe even next week, if Dinah thinks that's okay. Dinah?"  
"Olly gets back Tuesday, but maybe Thursday?"  
"...yeah, okay. I'll go brush my teeth."

After he'd left the room, Dinah quirked an eyebrow at her. "How do you do that?"  
"Treat kids like adults with some mental disabilities. And offer them things that you want to give anyway."  
"...damn, that was smoothly done. Got me to agree to have you visit again without noticing."  
"Two birds, one stone! Maybe three birds, even, if Olly counts."  
"You're shameless."  
"Sure am!"

* * *

"You know Olly and I don't like it when you call him 'Con-man'."

"Yeah, but you're too uptight. He's not going to become a criminal just from me giving him a nickname. Unless he becomes a criminal just from knowing me, I guess that could happen."

"You're not encouraging that, are you?"

"Not on purpose. I'm know I'm not a good influence but I try to be a crazy one more than a bad one."

"It would still make us feel better if you stopped."

"Trade you. I stop calling him Con-man and you let him call me Aunt Harley."

"You know Olly's sensitive about that. Feels too much like home-wrecking to him, and with all the affairs he had when he was younger..."

"Dinah-Bird, I swear on J's grave and my mother's that I would never come between you and Olly. Never."

"Why? I'm glad I have you as a friend but you care a lot more about it."

"You two were there for me when I desperately needed it. I like you both, but beyond that I _owe_ you, and that comes first. I pay you back how I can, because unless we're very unlucky you'll never need support as much as I did then, so helping with smaller problems is what I can do. If it starts hurting instead of helping, I'll hate to stop visiting, because I like you - and the kiddo, too, he grew on me fast. But I'll stop, because I _owe_ you that."

Dinah blinked away tears, "A lot of people would have done the same as us, in our position."

"Maybe, but they weren't in your position. You two were, and did."

"Yeah, I guess we dd. I'd rather have spared you that pain, but I'm glad it worked out this way. My life would be less surreal without you in it, but... also much worse."

"Me too. You enrich my life, even if you dull it down a little sometimes. And Connor is a gem."

Dinah hugged her again. "I'll bring it up with Olly. You've been in Connor's life since the beginning, it would be fair. You'll probably need to make him the same promise in person, and he might take a while to make up his mind, but I think he'll agree soon enough."

"Thanks, Dinah. It - means a lot, actually."

She just kept up the hug. She couldn't say whether it was for her or for Harley. After a minute or two, she relaxed it to speak.

"Harl? Why do you say I need you more than Olly does? To not be lonely."

"You both lost each other once. But he had years to grieve after the other Dinah died, and he mostly made his peace with it. You saw the other Olly murdered right in front of you and were on the run from then until when we took out the Regime. And you _died_ , though Fate brought you back. I'm not much of a shrink anymore but I don't need to be, to recognize someone who's hurting bad. So I help my friend not feel alone."

The tears were less of a surprise this time, but Dinah's attempts to blink them away failed completely.

"You're- Thank you. So much."

Harley just held her with a smile.

* * *

Olly agreed. Both to letting Connor call her 'aunt', and to setting aside most of his concerns about homewrecking. She was family to Connor, and a good friend. And as hard as it was to remember that she could turn the joking _off_ , when she was trying she could be deadly serious. And she was definitely trying. (Even if she was also _being_ trying.) And Connor obviously wanted her to be family. So she was family.

* * *

"Hey guys! Happy Boxing Day! I brought presents!"

"Hi, Harley. How many of them will give us surprise punches in the nose?"

"At most one of them. Pinky swear."

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this. But please, come in."

"That's because your keen eyes are good at judging character as well as arrows, Olly. But you'll enjoy it! I am the _fun_ kind of trouble!"

"Connor agrees. I'm not sure I do."

"You're just mad she parodied your boxing-glove arrow last year, Olly."

"Hey! Since when are you on her side?"

"Since you refused to rename the Arrow Cave, honey. Though you're even cuter when you're being frustrated with someone, so if Harley starts winning your arguments I might switch back."

"I'm pretty sure this is why they outlawed bigamy. Being outnumbered by your family's women is terrifying."

"Awww, Olly, you say the sweetest things about me. Be careful, Dinah might get jealous!"

This seemed unlikely, since Dinah's immediate reaction was a fit of giggles. Which quickly spread to Harley. And got worse when Oliver tried to look serious about them rather than giggle himself. For both of them.

Connor poked his head out and rescued him. "Dad, what are mom and auntie laughing about?"

Olly looked even more frustrated, briefly, and then it vanished, replaced by an evil gleam in his eye. "You know, I'm not sure I can explain. Ask your mother, she should have an easier time."

She stopped her giggles with a gasp. And a very dirty look turned back at him.

"Well, mom?"

"We...had your dad outnumbered about something silly, and said he was being stuck-up about it. He didn't like us saying that at all."

Harley had just about gotten her giggles under control and valiantly tried to acquire a straight face.

Connor looked concerned. "That sounds kind of mean."

Olly replied "It was maybe a little mean. But they did reeally find it funny, it wasn't _just_ mean."

"Aunt Harley, you shouldn't be mean to Dad!"

"Aww, you're right, kiddo. Even if it's really fun. Sorry, Olly. Also, wow, Connor, you're growing so fast! Are you sure you're only seven and a half?"

He grinned. "Pretty sure! Might have to ask Mom, though, I don't remember being a half."

She scooped him up. "Well, good thing I'm strong. You need to be scooped up and hugged and you're getting heavy."

She picked him up and spun him around. He laughed. Mom and Dad's hugs made him feel more cozy and protected, but Aunt Harley gave the most _fun_ hugs.

Since the frustration had been defused into smiles all around, Dinah decided to get things moving. "Alright, let's stop blocking the door open. And go open some presents!"

Olly hung back as his son and the girls moved into the living room. He reflected that as obnoxious as she could be, he could never stay mad at Harley for more than a few seconds of her playing with Connor. She was a _delight_ with kids. And even with adults, most of the time... not that he'd ever let on about that anywhere she could hear about it.

And hopefully this year he wouldn't be the one punched in the schnozz by one of her gifts.

* * *

Both Oliver and Dinah were on the new team, the Defenders of Earth, though less active due to their duties as parents. By the time Connor was ten, they were even willing to go on interstellar missions, though only one at a time. The League had dealt with enough of these that they were almost routine.

Until one wasn't.

Supergirl and Green Lantern - Jordan - were the only ones who made it back. The others were dead, or stuck under a bubble field which would never come down. He - well, all Green Lanterns are pretty cold-hearted, in order to make their rings work they have to put will over emotion. He didn't try to sugarcoat it; he'd seen the concrete block crush Olly. He had the decency not to mention the hand flying free until Dinah tried denial, that he hadn't seen him die. She barely managed to tell him to go before she collapsed.

The next day, slightly past noon, she was still in bed, in the dark. She heard the door open.

"Sorry, Connor. I can't help you today.", she said tonelessly.

The reply was a woman's voice, familiar, light but even in tone. It said, "I'm here to help _you_ , Bird."

The surprise made her look up. Harley set down her jacket and slid down onto the bed to hold her close.

"I'm not going to lie to you and say it's okay. But I'm here for you, Dinah. As much as you were there for me. I promise."

She had cried herself to sleep the night before, and had none left this morning. But they poured loose again, her face nestled into Harley's arm.

They didn't talk much; there was little to say. Harley got up once, to help Connor find a friend's house to visit. When she got back, she got Dinah to move to a couch with brief teasing about staying in bed with a strange woman all day. It didn't get a smile, nor did the false moustaches. But it was an improvement, still.

Sunset came. Harley cooked a quick dinner for them, and Dinah ate mechanically. The evening dragged on. Dinah was exhausted, but resisted the impulse to go back to sleep. Harley egged her on, though.

"Dinah, staying asleep all day is bad but you need your rest. You're bone-tired, it's obvious. Get some sleep."

"But then I'll have to face a new day."

"We can face it together."

"Together? Are you not going home?"

"Bird, why do you think I never stayed overnight when I visited before? You have plenty of guest bedrooms, and my place is still a disaster."

"I. Don't know?"

"Because I wanted us to be able to say to Olly, truthfully, that I never spent the night. And the same with me and Olly saying it to you. Because it wasn't enough to not be a homewrecker, I needed to be very clearly not one. And because I'd be tempted."

"...I'm not _just_ a friend to you."

"Neither of you are. I love you both. You've earned it."

"Oh."

"If you want me to stay all week, I'll stay all week. If you want me to stay all year, I'll have to retrieve some things from my place and end the lease. But I will. And if you want to fall asleep and wake up with me holding you, I'll do that exactly as much as you tell me to."

"Oh."

"I won't push if you don't want it. But you're not going to ask more from me than I am willing to give. And you need to know that, now. Especially if he doesn't manage to come back. You have love, if you want it."

Dinah buried her face in Harley's neck and hugged her, painfully tight.

She managed to whisper "Thank you, d-" before she broke back into sobs. But she was less tense than she had been. That counted as a victory, Harley was pretty sure.

When they slowed again, she gently suggested "Bed?", and Dinah wordlessly nodded. So she picked her up and carried her there. (Harley is a _lot_ stronger than she looks.) She started to tuck her in, but Dinah blurted out "Stay!". So she did, falling asleep with Dinah curled inside her arms as the little spoon.

She'd wanted this for years, if she was honest. It was bittersweet to get it in such awful circumstances, and with the other half of the desire out of the question, maybe permanently. But part of her was guiltily celebrating.

The morning was a little sweeter, because after Dinah woke her and turned to embrace her, she suddenly gave Harley a kiss. Quick and light, but on the lips. Harley stifled an honest, but very ill-timed, pleased squeal. "I expected you'd want more time to think."

"It wasn't a hard decision. I asked myself whether I loved you, and loving someone else felt like a betrayal. But then I remembered: I still love my first Olly, and that never stopped me loving the second, and they were, very-alike, but _different_ , men. And that made the unfaithful feeling go away, which left the answer 'yes, of course I do'."

"I'm glad. And especially that it doesn't feel like a betrayal, because I wouldn't want it to be."

"Yeah, I. I know. I think that's important to why the answer came so easily."

Harley took a joking tone, "So, should I be trying carnal distractions now?"

Dinah flushed incredibly fast. "No! No. Sorry, that still would feel like a betrayal. And I'm not usually interested in women, though... only usually."

"I was teasing, Bird. If you said yes now, I wouldn't turn you down, but I'd be shocked. Even in a month I'd be shocked. If you never want that from me, that's completely fine; I don't need sex from the people I love. And - I'm even better off when I don't get it, in some cases. Ivy and I got along much better when we didn't get physical."

"Thanks. It would feel wrong to enjoy myself, and I think it will for - hopefully not as long as it feels like. But a while."

"Yeah. It will stick around for a while. But not as long as it seems right now. Probably; I don't have patient histories for that, just me."

"You're... the best friend I could possibly ask for. Love you, Harley."

"Love you too, Dinah."

"Harl? Earlier, you said 'especially if he doesn't come back'. Do you really think he might?"

"There's a chance. I've seen too many people in this business cheat death to call anyone dead for sure until there's an open-casket funeral."

"And if he does? What will you do?"

"Welcome him home with you, and then let you two decide. If I could pick, you'd let me be your third. If you two need me to give up visiting you - visiting you _three_ \- I'd be very sad, but I'd do it. And being here for you now will make that hurt more, if I have to. But I'm not letting that stop me."

"Our...third? For sex?"

"For _love_ , dear. I'm really, really not monogamous. Kind of on purpose, after J. Though sex would probably be helpful in getting Olly to give it a chance..."

"Pervert."

"Sure am!"

Dinah scowled, but staying mad at Harley was never easy even when she _wasn't_ here to hold Dinah and comfort her when it was most needed. So she gave her another hug.

"We should talk to Connor. He deserves to know."

"We should. But we can take some time to think. And do it on a full stomach. Come on, I'm making you breakfast."

"What?"

"You heard me. You'll feel less crummy with some pancakes. Or French toast. Your choice. But we're getting out of bed and I'm making you breakfast."

Dinah nuzzled her, "You're very cute. Okay, you can make us pancakes. Lead the way, Harl."

* * *

"Okay, you were right, I feel a little better."

"'Course I was! I am very clever. And I'd have been even more right if you rich plebes had honest maple syrup around. Aunt Jemima is a travesty."

"I am so sorry to disappoint you, o baker of breakfast. In the future I shall ensure you approve all condiment purchases."

"I just don't get why you didn't have it already! Have you never tried real syrup? It's so much better!"

"Maybe once? It wasn't memorable."

"Ugh. Philistine."

Dinah didn't reply except to give her a kiss. A sticky one.

"As much as I'd like to just enjoy the better mood you've got me into, we should talk about Connor. You sent him to a friend's house for the night?"

"Yeah, he had a sleepover with Stanley Dover. I told his parents I was a close family friend and you were sick."

"Close enough to true, at least... do you think they could drive him here?"

"If you asked them to, probably they would. You might have to tell them more of the story."

"God, they don't know about our 'second career'. I think they'd take it well, I think Stanley's a metahuman, but... explaining sounds so hard."

"You don't have to. Olly was 'away on business', right?"

"Yeah. A 'conference retreat' with him, Bruce Wayne, and a couple other secret identities. Oh, god, you don't know those, do you? And Bats might kill me for telling you."

"I figured out most of 'em. Wayne is Bats, Steel is Dr. Irons, she's the head of that engineering place that split from Star Labs, Atom's that professor at New Metropolis U. Selina I already knew, and it's hard to keep the Robins straight but they're all Bats' family. I think the first Batgirl was the Commish's daughter, the one J crippled. Not sure about Spoiler or Huntress. The last Green Lantern was that pilot who was married to the Ferris Industries woman. Honestly after the whole Regime thing turning the old League against each other, it was a lost cause to keep secret identities going. I think Luthor figured out _everyone's_ , he just never told most of us most of them."

"Okay, that's... one problem I don't have to deal with. Maybe a problem someone else should deal with."

"Bats is probably handling it, that's what he'd do. So, Mr. Queen is at a retreat. Maybe he had an accident?"

"That's... yeah. Capsized in some rapids and in a coma. They think he probably won't make it."

"And if he does he'll still be stuck in the coma for a while?"

"Yeah, that works. I'll make the call."

She fished out a phone. It got picked up on the third ring.

"Hi, Sheila? It's Connor's mother Dinah. Yeah, that was Harley, she helped me out when I was pregnant with Con and has been his adopted aunt ever since. She came here to support me when she heard Olly was hurt."

"It's bad. He's in a coma, he and some other bigwigs went white-water rafting during their retreat and capsized."

"He's not in critical condition but he's not stable either, he's got at least a week left but maybe not much more. I sent Connor away for the night because I couldn't tell what to say - Yeah."

"Listen, could you give him a ride over? I'm not really up to driving yet."

"No, a night to let loose, with Harley here to support me, gave me enough space to think. Thanks a million for offering, though. Could I rain-check it and ask again next week or something? I don't want to put off telling him, it's not fair, but. Yeah, more or less. Wonderful, you're a lifesaver. Should I ask Connor to keep quiet about it in front of Stanley? Sure, I'll remind you."

"No need to rush, if they're having fun this afternoon would be fine. Send me a text when you're on your way. Great. Thanks again."

"Hey kiddo!"

"Hey Auntie! Nice to see you! ...What's wrong?"

"Us and your mother need to talk about it. Hold up a minute while we go sit on the couch, okay?"

"...okay."

Harley had looked sad. Mom looked _really_ sad. He ran over to give her a hug.

"Hi Connor. You have a good sleepover?"

"Yeah, we did shadow puppets and stuff. Are you okay, mom?"

"Not really. Your dad is... not coming back soon."

"But he was off being a hero? You guys are heroes and heroes never lose!"

"They didn't. They saved the people they went to save. But he got badly hurt, and then a barrier went up that trapped him. Green Lantern and Supergirl couldn't see any way to bring down the barrier, so he won't be coming home for a long time. And Green Lantern didn't think he was still alive when the barrier went up. So maybe not ever."

Connor looked down, with a serious look on his face. After a few seconds, he buried his face in her shoulder and bawled.

Harley scooched over and hugged the both of them.

* * *

"Alright, you lovely lump, enough feeling sorry for yourself for the morning. We're gonna get you moving."

"What's the point?"

"You wouldn't want to get too out of shape to go heroing, would you? Way easier to get out of shape than back into it. You've got that basement gym, let's go use it."

"...yeah, okay."

"Great!"

Dinah looked pretty hot in her gym clothes, so Harley was more tempted than usual to proposition her. But she was still grieving and needed her space.

"You have a usual routine with the weights?"

"Bench first. You want to warm up first or me?"

"Do your first set, Bird, I'll warm up after"

"Not with the light bar?"

"Trust me, no."

Harley spotted her as she went from the nearly-bare Olympic bar (fifty pounds) up to one-fifty and did her first full set there.

"Whoof. Alright, I've been slipping. I usually manage two hundred. Want my help clearing out the bar for your warmup?"

"Nah, it's fine as-is. Just spot me."

"What?"

"Just let me show off, love."

Harley got on the bench, rolled her shoulders, and shoved the bar up like it was a pool noodle. Then twice more, and a one-handed rep with each hand.

"See?"

"...wow. When'd you get that strong?"

"Insurgency. The super serum never totally wore off. I'm no Supergirl but I can break the world records easy, my personal record for bench is half a ton."

"Why you? I took it, too. Most of us did."

"My biochemistry is really screwy. J - used me as a lab rat. A bunch of times."

"Death was too fucking good for him," Dinah growled, "Hurting my girl that way..."

Harley popped up and gave her a hug. "Aww, didn't know you cared! Love you, Dinah."

Rather than reply, she just gave her a deep kiss.

When she broke it, she just said, "Back to working out? As much as _you_ can in a gym for us normal athletes."

"Yeah, we should. As nice as kissing you is."

An hour later, Dinah finished her last reps. "Whoof. Okay, you were right, I feel a lot better after that."

"Course you do. I am very smart."

"You are. Are you done, or should I spot another set?"

"I'm good. Anything you want to do next, today?"

Dinah just hmmmed, and they started walking back to the stairwell. Then she stopped and turned to Harley, "Actually, yeah."

Harley turned to her with a questioning look. "What?"

Dinah smirked, "You," and abruptly pushed her against the wall with a really aggressive kiss.

Harley's breath caught as Dinah's hands wrapped around her and caressed her back. When she had her lips free, she gasped out, "Why now, ma'am?"

"Workouts get me very turned on. Always have."

"...I'm sorry, ma'am, I shouldn't have tempted you like this. I didn't know."

"Firstly, silly girl, _I_ knew. I knew it would probably put me in the mood for sex with you and I didn't say anything because I was fine with that. Secondly, 'ma'am'? You've seemed happy to take charge before."

"I'm a service submissive, ma'am. A really submissive one, probably always have been. I take care of problems for my loves so they don't have to worry."

"And now I've got _you_ very turned on."

"Yes ma'am. I've been turned on since you called me 'your girl' after my first set."

"Well, Connor is at school, so we have several hours with the house to ourselves. Do you have a preference between going back to bed and me stripping you right here?"

"Whichever you prefer is fine, ma'am. But if you do drag your girl off to bed, she would appreciate you stripping her here in the hallway, first."

"My dirty girl likes being exposed?"

"She likes feeling vulnerable to her love."

"Awww. Well, I'm happy to arrange that."

* * *

Dinah woke from a drowsy, happy haze, tangled up in the sheets and Harley. With nothing else in the mix. God, she had a hot girlfriend. It wasn't like with Olly, but- her thought were interrupted by a sob, which she took a moment to notice was her own. Harley woke almost immediately and twisted into a hug.

"What's wrong, Di?"

"I was thinking how it was *sniff* really nice, but not like with *sniff* Olly, and..."

"It's okay! It's okay. Pleasant things can be painful reminders. That's not a problem. It's okay to cry."

Dinah just nodded and buried her face in Harley's shoulder to let the tears flow.

Maybe twenty minutes later, she'd calmed down.

"God. I'll be fine for days and then it hits me again."

"Grief is like that. Mine was mixed with trauma, so it probably lasted much longer, but I still get reminders occasionally."

"I'm so lucky to have you."

"I think it's skill more than luck, Dinah."

"Still."

"Yeah. I'm lucky you have me, too. And especially lucky today, because I'm, mmmm, _especially_ had."

" _Such_ a pervert."

"If ma'am wants me to stop being perverted I can try"

"Are you always this bratty to your dommes?"

"Only when I want to be punished, ma'am."

...that was clearly a trap. How did she resolve it without more of an argument? -Oh, of course: keep Harley from being able to talk. Dinah grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her head down into the mattress. _Mostly_ into the mattress. She took the hint.

Dinah spent the next few minutes very, very pleased with her decision.

After that, as they cuddled in the afterglow, she glanced at the bedside clock. "Crap. Harl, we need to get dressed."

"Aww, must we, ma'am?"

"Yeah. Connor will be home soon."

"Ah. He probably won't be _as_ grossed out by Mom and Auntie having sex as if it was Mom and Dad..."

"But. Yeah. We'll have more chances."

"Oh good, I was a little worried you might not be interested again for a while."

"Don't expect it every night. But I'll play with my girl often, never fear."

"Thank you, ma'am. May I still call you Bird?"

"Yes. Except in bed."

"Sorry, ma'am."

"That didn't count, silly girl. Now get dressed before you tempt me again."

Harley impudently gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving bed. And after some enjoyable gazing at her girl flouncing into clothes, so did Dinah.

...they still smelled like sex. Connor was only twelve, he wouldn't recognize it. Hopefully. There might be time to shower before he got back from school, but there was _no_ way they would shower and keep their hands off each other enough to _finish_ showering before he got back.

"Hey kiddo! How was school?"

"Hi Auntie! It was good! We're talking about the structure of the government and we're gonna do a simulation of part of it next week, it sounds really fun."

"That does sound fun! Will you play parts?"

"Yeah! We don't know which yet but they asked us to give requests and I said I wanted to be press or in the Justice Department."

"That's my boy!", said Dinah, scooping him into a hug from behind. "Digging into secrets and fighting crime and injustice."

"Moooomm, put me down!"

"Okay, Connor, if you want." She did. "I'm glad you're excited about it."

"It's really cool! We get to be part of stuff. Even if it's pretend stuff."

She gave him a big grin, "It is! But not all boys your age would agree. It...reminds me of your dad, in a good way."

He looked up at her, searching for something in her face. But she was still smiling, and it still seemed genuine.

"Usually when I remind you of Dad you seem hurt."

"...Yeah, I guess I do. I still miss him, and that's painful. But today, you're mostly reminding me that he'd be very proud of you. Or if he can see us from whever he ended up, _is_ proud of you."

He looked away, and down. When he turned back his eyes seemed a little damp, but she knew better than to mention it. He reached up and gave her a hug.

"Thanks, Mom. I hope there are more days like today."

"I think I can arrange that!", interjected Harley.

"Harley!"

"What? I'm going to make sure you get your workouts more regularly. The basement gym was gathering way too much dust."

"You're incorrigible."

"Sure am!"

"Uh, Aunt Harley? What's 'incorrigible' mean?"

"Why are you asking _her_?"

"Because if it's rude, you won't tell me and Auntie will."

"Hah! He's got you there, Bird!"

Dinah just glared at her.

"It's complicated, Con-man, but mostly what it means here is that your mother would really like me to stop being the kind of mom who tells you what rude words mean, and has been trying for years, and it's never going to work."

"So, like stubborn?"

"More like 'stubborn about being badly-behaved'. You don't call someone an incorrigible hero, not even someone like Batman who is very, very stubborn. But, like, the Riddler, he's an incorrigible villain. And an incorrigible idiot."

"I guess you would know."

"I would! Anyway, it's not very rude, so your mother probably would have told you. But keep asking me, because I enjoy being a bad influence."

He gave _her_ a hug, too. "Best auntie. Bad influence mom is a great kind of mom, everyone should have one."

"If everyone got to have one of each, maybe. Good influence mom is a good thing to have, too."

"Maybe, but your way is more fun."

"Awwww. Come on, Bird, three-way hug. Right, kiddo?"

He nodded and hugged them both. But after a minute or so he seemed to remember that he was supposed to be embarrassed by his parents.

"Uh, I told my friends I was gonna meet them in Runescape. I'm gonna go do that."

Harley gave Dinah a knowing smile. "Okay, kiddo, don't keep your friends waiting. I'll call you down for dinner, k?"

He nodded and vanished up the stairs.

Dinah waited a few moments to be sure he was out of earshot before rounding on Harley. "'I can arrange that'? Seriously? While we both still had the smell of it on us? Tweens have minds as dirty as yours, you know that."

"Couldn't resist. You should have seen your face!"

Dinah grabbed Harley by the hair and turned her to look into her eyes head-on, instead of laughing glaces away.

"...sorry, ma'am."

"That's better. Is 'don't do it again' too much to ask for?"

"Probably, ma'am. I _am_ incorrigible."

"Lucky for you, you're also very cute." She released her hair and scritched her scalp. Harley practically purred.

"Awww. Why haven't I discovered this button before?"

Harley seemed to need some concentration to get her words out, but eventually said "Hiding lotta subby things. Din't wanna pressure you."

"That's very sweet of you. Are there lots more you're going to try to ease me into, or can you stop hiding entirely now?"

"Nothing thass gonna shock you. Not with _your_ costume... Mmm, more scritches please?"

Dinah delivered the requested scritches and considered her old heroing costume. Skin-tight leather in most places, spandex in the others, and a bright-gold, heavy-duty collar with a prominent black d-ring that a leash could be attached to - though it never had been.

...Honestly, what the hell had she been thinking with that outfit? She couldn't even blame Olly, because other than a little less leather she'd been wearing it since before they met!

"Anything particular you'd like from me, girl?"

"Mmmmm. If you put a collar on your girl to show that she's yours, that would make her very happy."

"Maybe I'll give you the one from my old costume."

Harley practically vibrated with delight. "That would make your girl very, _very_ happy, ma'am."

"You're very cute when you're happy, so I might have to. ...But maybe not for wearing around the house, Connor might ask some awkward questions."

"He's a big boy, he can deal."

"Maybe in a couple years when he's dated. And heard of BDSM from someone other than his parents. If he asks for the sex talk you can include that part."

"Grumble grumble grumble. You are being very sensible and non-impulsive and I am unhappy with this outcome. But you're the boss. And probably right."

"That's my job, I'm good influence mom."

"I have to wonder whether you were good influence mom when you picked that costume..."

"Well, I wasn't a mom. Or dating anyone. But apart from that... I was clearly not producing good influences. I have no idea what I thought I was doing, dressing in leather fetish gear with a glaringly-bright sub's collar highlighting my neck."

"Maybe that you were turned on by the idea of a fight turning into a display of dominance over you?"

"I mean, yes, but, that didn't happen in a way that stuck. A couple villains exploited it to put me off-guard, but none of them tried to claim me. Not even Olly did, neither of them. And the closest I came to a kinky relationship, ever, was when Lady Shiva took me prisoner for a month or so and tried to convince me to be her apprentice, where she leaned on my kinks to try to get me pliable. Which wasn't all _bad_ , but definitely not the kind of outcome I was secretly hoping for! And it wasn't nearly as satisfying as in my imagination, Olly being vanilla wasn't even a disappointment."

"Well, it can be the bad influence mom collar and get passed to me."

"Yes, yes it can." Kiss. "And I'll get you something more subtle you can wear day to day. I had a lace choker in my 'PR costume' for a while, maybe that."

"That sounds good to me, ma'am."

"Good. Now, I'm going to go get my laptop so I can do a little work while you make dinner."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Three years since Olly's death arrived. Both women got maudlin, and Connor stayed at Stanley's house again. (They had exchanged secrets - it turned out he wasn't a metahuman, but the Dovers had a different secret they'd kept, and could keep Connor's family secrets too.) Dinah didn't go out heroing, despite getting back into shape; she couldn't bear to risk losing Connor another parent, even if he'd have one to spare. She left some forms about remarriage after a spouse disappeared printed out, marked-up and lying on the kitchen table. 

By dinnertime they'd disappeared, and she found their remains in the basket of her home office's shredder the next day. Harley was very good at serving in ways that let her not think about it. Or, in this case, not talk about it, when that conversation would be painful.

Connor had turned thirteen, and it had almost reached three and a half years, when the special phone rang mid-day. Dinah was in the bedroom, so Harley picked it up.

"Canary residence! What's up?"

"Dinah, we- Harley Quinn?"

"I'm going by Harl Queen now. I moved in with Dinah after Olly died, to help her and my nephew get through it. Did she not mention that?"

"Uh, not to me," said the hero, who Harley finally mentally placed - Steel, Dr. Irons, "She'll want to know this immediately: the team who died got recovered. Green Arrow's alive - in bad shape but here. In the Fortress medbay."

"How long's it take to get there at top speed from Star City?"

"Call it thirty minutes?"

"We'll be there in forty. I'll drive."

"Alright. See yo-" the line was cut off prematurely as Harley left to fetch her love.

Who was in the shower. Inconvenient, but she'd want to be interrupted. Harley barged in.

"Rude girl, interrupting your mistress. Since you're asking for a punishment I might as well extract a fun one-" Dinah grabbed her head and pushed her down.

-"Ma'am, no! Stop!"

Dinah froze in shock. "Harl?"

"They found Olly. He's alive."

"If this is a prank-"

"No prank. I swear, ma'am. Steel called. I'll queue up the car and jet while you dress, he's in the Fortress medbay."

Dinah was still moving slowly, trying to process the sudden emotional shift. She felt the water stop. Harley stood and started to leave, which jolted her out of it. She pulled her girl back in for a kiss.

"Good girl. And- wear your proper collar for this. No sense hiding - _us_ \- from Olly. And if anyone else cares, they can go fuck themselves."

"That's a good idea, ma'am. Thank you."

"Thank _you_ , Harl."

A few minutes later she got to the garage, rumpled and damp but presentable. Harley had boring street clothes but the bright gold collar that marked her as Dinah's for everyone to see.

"Di, should we wait for Connor? I assumed you would want to go immediately, but while I was prepping I remembered him."

"...No. Good thought, but let's go now. We can ask Barry to bring him up if that seems like a good idea when we arrive; he'll make the detour if I ask."

"Yes, ma'am. That's what I thought you'd say. I'll drive."

Dinah had had the dubious pleasure of being chauffeured by the Quinn once before. It became clear over the next five minutes that she had _really_ been toning it down. They must have averaged twenty miles over the limit the whole way to the Quiver - not used in three years but still in good shape - and the rapid-response scramjet which sat there prepped and ready for them. Fortunately, it flew by autopilot, so Harl couldn't make it any more hair-raising - though she did make an attempt.

Thirty-eight minutes after the phone rang, they arrived in the Fortress. Kara gave them a lift straight to the medbay. "Oliver's in bad shape. The Kryptonian med-tech will fix him up, but he's only alive because time was stopped behind that barrier." She raised an eyebrow at Harley's collar - she was still an outsider to Earth culture, but some things were impossible for a mentally-teenager introduced to the human internet to avoid. Rule 34 was a concept she vaguely recognized, but became much more familiar with on Earth. Harley just grinned at her, a little of her old madness glinting in her eyes. Kara decided that even for Supergirl, some battles shouldn't be picked.

They were at his bedside quickly. He was breathing shallowly, eyes closed and most of his body wrapped in crystalline bandages. Harley hung back as Dinah reached out and touched his good hand. He stirred, turning his head and opening his eyes a crack.  
"..pretty bird. I'm... not so pretty now. You still are, though."

"You're alive. After losing you again-," she got a little choked-up and had to cough it back to continue, "I don't think I'd mind if I got you back ugly as Bizarro."

"How-long's it been? Feels like a couple weeks for me, but Jordan told me time was screwy."

"A little more than three years. Connor's birthday was last month."

"You held it together. You're strong, pretty bird. Stronger than I knew, and I didn't think you were weak."

"I-had some help. A lot of help."

She turned to her side, and noticed Harley wasn't at it. She was slouched in a shadow against the wall, looking like she was preparing to run away.

"Get back here, you," Dinah ordered, pointing her finger and crooking it.

Quinn straightened a little, but her eyes stayed dark and gloomy. She whispered, "Okay." But she approached.

Olly struggled to make things out much beyond his bed, but he recognized the pigtails before she'd gotten within reach.

"Quinn! Of course. Supporting your nephew and his mother. Thank you, Harley-girl."

"...you're welcome, sir."

Olly's eyes narrowed - though it was a little hard to tell, since he could only open them a crack as it was. He looked her over, and his eyes settled on her neck.

"Di, is that what I think it is?"

"From my old costume, yeah. I wasn't using it."

"So, you had some fun while I was gone?"

"That part is fairly recent. Just the last year. But she confessed her love for me - for _us_ \- the day she heard. She's been my rock, without you. I'm - not sure I could have held together without her support."

"Well, I'm - glad she had you, Harley.  
  
  
What, no innuendo?"

"...I worried you'd be mad, sir. I promised I wouldn't come between you."

"And you didn't. I was missing, presumed dead. There was no 'us' to come between."

"There wasn't. Now there is."

"And a fine thanks it would be for me to kick you out of your relationship - and it sounds like a very good one, for our pretty bird - the minute I got back."

Dinah chimed in with, "She was also very sweet about keeping things romantic but platonic until I made it clear I was at peace with your loss enough to get physical. She's been a great parent for Connor, too. He reserves 'mother' for me but he calls us 'good influence mom' and 'bad influence mom'."

 _Hack_ - _kof_ - _koof_ "Wow. Should not laugh. Hadn't noticed that yet. I don't need to ask which is which."

Harley spoke up, shyly, "We decided this was the bad influence mom collar. Since ma'am was not a very good influence when she started wearing it."

"Hsss. No more jokes, bad girl."

"Sorry, sir. Would you like to punish me?"

"I'll save it for when I have a hand strong enough to spank you with. For now - give me your hand."

She reached for his good hand, tentatively. He grasped it tightly when her fingers reached his.

"Not kicking you out. Our bird brought you closer into _her_ life and bed; you get to stay there in _ours_. I won't promise we'll get along forever. But we'll put in the time; if it can work, we'll make it work. We clear?"

"Yessir. Thank you, sir."

"You know, I never really wanted to take that collar up on its promise when it was on Dinah. But on you? Much more tempting -yeowch! Goddammit. Another thing I shouldn't do while healing. Fuck, that hurts."

Dinah turned away to hide a smile.

"One last thing, Harl. Bring your hand to my face, but don't tickle my beard."

She did, puzzled but happy.

He tilted his head forward fractionally and kissed her knuckles. She nearly melted.

"Thank you, sir. I love you very much."

"I -- haven't thought enough to know if I feel the same. And thinking is hard like this. But - you are _worthy_ of Dinah's love. If you don't get mine, it _won't_ be because you're unworthy of it. And I'm - hoping for? - the same answer as you are."

She'd already pulled back her hand, but now she sank to her knees. She took his hand in hers, and managed to squeeze a stunning amount of passion into kissing his hand.

"...Wow. You don't do things by halves, Quinn."

"Should we leave you for now, Olly?"

"Yeah, I think so, pretty bird. Or - is Connor here?"

"No, he's in school. I didn't want to wait."

"Then, yeah. I should get some rest. Bring him here in a couple hours and you can wake me."

"We will. It's - wonderful to have you back, love."

"Being back isn't all its cracked up to be so far - but I think I'll agree in a week or two." He paused, brief but just long enough to be noticeable. "Love you."

"Love you, too. Rest up."

Dinah took Harley by the hand and led her out of the room. Kara was not far from the door - probably she heard everything. Well, keeping secrets from Kryptonians was a lost cause anyway.

"Ma'am? Should we wait here, or go home and pick up Connor ourselves?"

"I - don't know. Kara, is there somewhere private we can sit down?"

"Hmm. Yeah, go left one hallway over and second door on the left. Walls are soundproof enough that I won't overhear unless you're very loud - or if I listen at the door, I guess. And there's a terminal there you can ask to monitor Olly's room or turn on cell coverage from."

"Perfect, thanks. Come on, Harl."

Harley whispered as they walked down the hall, "You know, I forgot in the hubbub but when I answered Steel's call I changed my name on impulse."

"You? Impulsive? Never!"

"Meanie! But yeah, it was kind of silly. But I said that now I was going by 'Harl Queen'."

"Awwwww. You're a sweetie, Harl. It's a great idea. You're part of the family, sharing our name fits you."

They reached the room; it was eerily silent, which maybe was to be expected. There were no couches, so Dinah sat in a padded armchair and Harley considered its neighbor but opted for her lap. She needed hugs.

"I'm scared, ma'am."

"Girl?"

"Olly won't turn me away for the sake of it, but... he might for other reasons. He might not be able to live with me. You might have to choose."

"...Fuck."

"Yeah. You'd hate making the choice, I'm sure. But you might have to. And if it comes to that... I lose, don't I?"

Dinah just hugged her tight, like she might vanish at any moment. She wanted to tell her lover that no, of course not. But even more, she didn't want to lie to her. Fuck, she got what she'd most wanted for three years, why was it hurting?

"We... can work something out. If we have to. Connor and I spend some weeks with Olly and others with you."

"I... hope you will, ma'am. But I'm still scared. I'm not the one you married. Married twice, even, sort of."

"Hey. You're the one I've spent the last three years with, who's been my rock. And it's not like you had the chance to seduce me before Olly, maybe if you had we'd be married instead."

"I wasn't really in a state to try. Too stuck on J."

"Yeah, but if I'd met the current you twenty years ago? You'd have given Olly real competition, my girl."

Harley gave her a hug, and an only-slightly-forced smile.

"I'm still scared. But that helps a lot. You're very good at keeping your girl, ma'am."

"You know, we're not in bed, you don't _have_ to call me by my title like you have been all afternoon."

"Must be something in the air. Or maybe a big heavy gold band around my neck reminding me whose I am and what she could do with me whenever she likes."

"Brat.", Dinah fondly retorted.

"Sure am!"

Kisses ensued. Dinah was tempted to make significantly _more_ ensue, but restrained herself.

"Before we get carried away, we should decide what to do for picking up Connor."

"There you go being all sensible and non-impulsive again."

"Someone has to be. Even with Olly back. _He's_ sure not going to. Should we head home?"

"I... think the best thing would be to send me home to fetch Connor and let you stay here to watch Olly..."

"But you're scared."

"...but I'm scared. It's silly, though, so if you want me to, I'll go where you say."

"Good girl. But no, we can both stay. Go poke the console and turn on cell service, I'll give Barry a call."

"Yes, ma'am."

...

"Hi, Barry! It's Dinah. Did you hear the news about the old gang?"

"Yeah, Olly's back. Not in good condition, he's in the hospital near Kara's place. I'm here waiting while he rests and heals up. Listen, can I ask a favor?"

"It would be a big favor from most people, but easier for you. I know it's silly, but I don't want to leave the bedside to go pick up Connor, and he deserves to know as soon as he gets out of school. Could you bring him here?"

"Fantastic, you're a real hero. Yeah, yeah, forgive the pun. His school lets out in about forty minutes, but if you're busy he wouldn't normally get home until later, about an hour and a half from now. If you're at our place when he gets there, that's plenty. I'm sure you can let yourself in."

"Great, text me when you're inbound. Thanks a million."

"Well, Harl. We have at least an hour to kill. Still want to be impulsive?"

"Mmmmh. I'd rather see _your_ impulses, ma'am."

"I think I can arrange that." She pulled Harley back down into her lap, then twisted to pin her to the chair beneath her. "I can arrange _several_ things."  
Mmmh, she still hadn't gotten tired of that delighted squeal.

* * *

"Moms! Dad's back?"

"Yes. He's still healing, and probably asleep, but he said we could wake him when you arrived."

"...Will I remember him right? It's been so long."

"I don't know, kiddo. But he remembers you, and loves you. And I think it will come back to you."

"...Okay."

"Barry, thanks again for bringing him, but if you don't mind?"

"Sure. Give him my good wishes, and tell him if he wants a guest in the middle of the night I'm generally free."

"Do you not sleep?"

"I sleep very _weirdly_."

"Huh. We'll tell him."

He nodded and vanished.

Harley turned to Connor. "You're a little scared, aren't you? Because it's a big change you don't know how to predict."

"...Not really."

"If you say so. But I was. I still am, a little; our lives are going to change with your dad back, probably for the better but big changes can be scary even if they're probably good ones."

"I guess that makes sense. Do you want a hug, mom?"

She carefully concealed her smile at him taking the excuse to get a hug without asking for one. 

"Definitely, Con-man."

He held the hug just long enough to make it pretty clear he wanted it to be longer but still short enough that he could deny it.

"You two ready to go see Olly?", Dinah asked.

They looked at each other and nodded.

"Alright, let's go. Did Barry tell you about the weird thing the barrier did? Your father's only experienced a couple weeks of time since he vanished. So the amount you've grown is probably going to be sort of surprising."

"I hope he doesn't expect me to still act ten. That would be weird.'

"I don't think he will _want_ you to still be ten, but he might be surprised you're _not_."

"I guess _that's_ fine."

"Good. I just wanted to be sure you weren't too surprised yourself. The door's just around this next corner."

A light over the door flickered green as they approached, and it slid open. Dinah approached the bedside while Harley hung back with Connor.

"Hey, Olly? Olly, we're back. And Connor's here."

"Mrrrh? Oh... morning. Good face to wake up to."

"Awww. Did you hear what I said? Connor's here."

"Is he? Hey, rascal, come over here, I can't see too far yet."

Connor walked up tentatively. "Hi, Dad. I'm glad you're back."

"Me, too, son. Damn, have you doubled in size or are my eyes bad?"

Connor grinned a little. "Mostly your eyes. I'm like a foot taller now but I'm pretty sure I was more than a foot tall before."

"You certainly were! What are you now, six feet tall?"

"Five-eight."

"Nice. Is the voice-cracking part of your life over with? Because that's one thing I wouldn't mind skipping, living through it for myself was bad enough."

"Ugh, I'm gonna have that, aren't I. No, not yet. Just some growth spurt."

"Well, I'll be around to commiserate with you about it. Which your moms couldn't do, as nice as they probably have been."

"They have been nice. Auntie is more fun but Mother gives better advice. And doesn't embarrass me on purpose."

"I'm sure she manages plenty by accident. Probably so will I."

"Well, yeah. You're old, you can't help it."

"Oi! Show some respect, boyo!"

"It's going to take a lot more than coming back from the dead for _that_ , Dad," he said, sticking out his tongue.

"Alright, _squirt_."

Connor scrunched up his face into a scowl before realizing that was probably the point and trying to stop, to be contrary. While he was distracted, Olly turned to the ladies.

"Yep, seems like a teenager all right. Should I ask how the conversation about you two went, or is going into it in front of him gratuitously evil?"

They were standing back, so he could tell they were making faces but not quite _what_ faces. Dinah was the one to speak.

"It, uh, _hasn't_. We're not usually as brazen about it as today, Harl usually borrows from my old PR costume instead of the working one."

"Uh, oops."

"No, it's fine, we didn't plan it out but we noticed this would probably happen."  
Harley nodded her agreement, from her position next to Dinah, clinging slightly.

Connor shifted from his 'trying to be contrary but also annoyed' struggle to honest confusion, looking between his three parents. "About you two"? ...Sex, probably. Gross. Gross, gross, gross. Now he struggled for somewhere to look that was still paying attention but _not_ in a way that reminded him that both his moms had, some times in their lives, had sex. And not to look them in the eyes because he was so embarrassed he couldn't deal. But not make it obvious. Neck? Sure, nothing sexual about that.  
Wait. That was new. Instead of the little black choker she usually wore, Auntie had a big, bright, metallic yellow one, with a large black ring on the front. What was-  
Crap. He knew what that was. He really didn't want to know that. He looked away, blushing furiously.

Dinah was watching him closely. "I think he just recognized it. Sorry, Conn, we were hoping to keep it secret until you were a little older and less embarrassed by it. But Harley needed reassurance I was committed to her even through your dad coming home, and this was a tangible reminder she really needed."

He was still studiously looking down, but turned in Harley's direction. "Is that why you were scared, Auntie?"

"It's part of it. But only part."

"I...don't think any wait would have made me happy to learn my moms's kinks. That _is_ it, right? It's a kink collar?"

"Yes, your aunt is a submissive, and recently has been _my_ submissive. Probably your father's, too, soon. Stop me if this is TMI, I'm guessing that suspecting and not having it confirmed would be _worse_ but if you say stop-"

"Yeah. No, that's- probably true. Ick. Ick ick ick."

Harley interjected, impishly, "Hey, could be worse. You could have stumbled in on us!"

" _Not_ helping, Harl."

The color of Connor's cheeks confirmed that it was not helping, not in the least.

"Would you rather I said a little bit about your father's relationship with me before he vanished, or nothing?"

"...Fuck, might as well get it over with."

Harley snickered. Dinah gave her a light slap. "Sorry, ma'am."

"Your father and I didn't have a kinky relationship before and probably won't now either. And because you're probably going to figure it out later: Harley's collar is from my old heroing costume. You _probably_ will be more embarrassed than me that I had that collar as part of my costume, but I am pretty damn embarrassed about it."

He felt like he might spontaneously combust. "Is there... somewhere else I could sit down?"

"Hmm, should be. Harl, where was that room?"

"Left out the door, left one hallway over, and sec- no, _third_ door on the left. And if that's wrong, yell for Kara, she's probably around."

"Wasn'- Oh, no, you're right."

He nodded and rushed out of the room.

"Good catch, Harl," she said after the door had closed. "Probably our mess is cleaned off the loveseat but it would be the opposite of helpful if it wasn't."

"Having fun while I was asleep?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we did. But for serious reasons."

"Elaborate?"

"Sir, I. I worry that we can't live together. You won't kick me out for petty reasons but you might for bigger reasons. And if Dinah has to choose one of us... she'll choose the one she married twice who's the father of her son. I said so, and she - couldn't deny it, though she wanted to. She chose to - well, I _assume_ this is why - screw me in the other room because it would reassure me that she wanted to keep me, and would work at it."

Olly looked completely taken aback.   
"... To hell with that. No, I couldn't do that to you. Fuck, it hurts just to consider it."

He broke off with a pensive look.

"Sir?"

"...yeah, that's good enough. OK. Harl, get over here this moment."

"Yessir."

"I'm sure of this, you clear? Bend down here and give me a kiss."

"Sir!"

"What did I say?"

She bent over with her bust pressing against the crystalline bandages and her lips locked with his, sideways, in a deep French kiss. Eventually, he nudged her face away, probably so he could come up for air.

"Love you, Harl. I'll still - need to think about the details, but that pain - that was enough. That told me all I really needed to know."

Harley was speechless, just gazing at him adoringly. Dinah was almost as pleased, but not as dumbstruck.

"I'm very glad to hear it, love. Do I get a turn, or is that just for newbies?"

"Let me catch my breath, first, I think she sucked most of it out of me."

Dinah smirked.

"Get your mind out of the gutter! She really _has_ been a bad influence."

"If you didn't want my mind in the gutter, you shouldn't have ordered my sub - _our_ sub - to your side for a passionate kiss and then confessed your love for her. Because that made me think forward to waking up in bed next to _both_ of you and how wonderful it will be. And then to what we'll probably do next when we do."

"...still think you have a dirtier mind than you used to."

"Should you apologize, Harl?"

"Not sure I can, ma'am. I don't think I regret it at all. But I'll try to make it up to you, sir." She was still half-knelt by his bedside, but added a sultry look and a downward tug on her top.

"...alright, maybe I can forgive it a little, my mind just jumped into the gutter, too."

"Isn't our girl a hottie? Absolutely delicious."

"I cannot heal fast enough, that's for sure. Luckily I'm already in better shape than I was when you visited earlier, or this would hurt."

Dinah caught Harley's eye and grinned mischieviously.

"You're taking too long to get your breath back, I'm impatient. Harl, _you_ kiss me."

Their kiss was especially, showily sensual, complete with grinding their bodies together, right in Olly's gaze.

"Girl, why are you helping Dinah torment me?"

"Well, sir, you didn't tell me not to. And ma'am told me to. But if you'll tell me what you want me not to do, I'm sure my loves can work out a compromise. Which part should I change? My clothes? My kisses? Or should I remove those entirely?"

" _Now_ you're being a tease on purpose."

"Ma'am, am I being a tease?"

"Yes, but keep doing it, I'm thoroughly enjoying this."

"Gah! This _is_ why they outlawed bigamy! It must be! Why did I not consider this?"

"Are you changing your mind, dear?"

"No, I'm just experiencing regrets. Dinah, get over here for that kiss, but then you two are banished so my damn body can get some damn rest."

"Sounds fine to me."

Their kiss was less passionate, longer, and more tender.

"Missed you, sharp."

"You too, pretty bird."

"Still want us to leave?"

"Yeah, I think you should. Connor can come back in alone if he likes."

"Okay. See you soon, love. Come on, other love."

"Ma'am? There was one thing I'd like to tell him first."

"Oh, what you told me about your conversation with Steel?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Yeah, I think he'd like to know."

"I would?"

"When Steel called Black Canary on the special phone, I was the one who answered, rather than ma'am herself. And - mostly as an impulsive joke - I told her that I didn't go by Harley Quinn now, but Harl Queen. If you're going to keep me, I'd like it very much if we could make that official."

"That's very sweet of you. I like the idea; good girl."

She beamed back at him.

"But for now, you should go."

She nodded, and took Dinah's hand to be led out of the room. Everything was going to be just fine.

* * *

Olly had a clean bill of health and Kara and the medical advisory systems cleared him to leave the medbay and return home. Connor had visited for a while, just before he was cleared, and was staying with the Dovers again - and hopefully managing to avoid thinking about why they didn't want him home when they got back. The sex was fantastic. The waking up next to each other, though? That was even better. And _that_ kept going every morning for weeks, since Connor being home didn't interfere.

Harley got her legal name change filed; the law now considered her Harl Queen rather than Harleen Quinzel. They looked into ways to make her officially family, but settled for designating her next of kin for both of them. She also made a 'heroing identity': 'Prism Hammer' which consisted of a face-covering mask with rainbow patterns, a big similarly-decorated hammer, the subtle collar, and ordinary street clothes. She still thought secret identities were silly, so she didn't make much effort to hide it, but her loves asked for it, so they got it. Some nights one of the trio went on patrol and the other two had time alone. Others all three patrolled together. Black Canary's costume had lost its collar, to a _little_ teasing from her husband.

Now that keeping it secret from Connor was a lost cause, Olly decided it was funny to put Harley in a maid costume when doing chores. Connor vetoed it the first time he saw it. His exact words were "Just because I know more than I want to about your sex lives doesn't mean you have to rub my face in it with a sexed-up costume. Stop."

Unlike Dinah, Olly was embarrassed - surprising even himself - about being much weaker than Harl. He looked into it, and found ways to duplicate the effect she'd gotten from the serum. He'd been reluctant to take any superpowers, preferring to hold his own with raw skill, but nearly dying put that in perspective. And Batman still was sticking to it, which meant it, as Harl pointed out, it would be a chance to _needle Batman_ , which was better than gold. Dinah joined him, and they promised Connor that when he went to college he could, too.

There were many other changes, from disguising the existence of their home gym and upgrading it to super-strength spec to getting Olly and Dinah much taller desks for their home offices. But they would, and did, approach them all as a family, four people who all loved each other very much. It made for a pretty full house, but nowhere is it written that that has to be a bad thing.


End file.
